Disney’s Winnie the Pooh – The New Musical Stage Adaptation
The Broadway and West End sensation is now on tour in Australia. After a successful opening in Brisbane, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh – The New Musical Stage Adaptation finished its run at Sydney Opera House last week. Due to popular demand, new shows have been added in Launceston, Hobart. Adelaide, Mandurah, Bunbury, Perth, Canberra, Parramatta, Melbourne, Geelong and Albury.
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation brings to life Disney’s iconic Hundred Acre Wood as never before: with life-size puppetry, gorgeously hand-crafted set pieces, and a sweeping score featuring beloved music old & new. Follow Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo (and don’t forget Tigger too!) as they journey through four seasons of whimsical adventure in a brand-new story showcasing award-winning puppetry you’ll have to see to believe.
Featuring the Sherman Brother’s classic Grammy-award winning music with further songs by A.A. Milne, this beautiful fresh stage adaptation is told with stunning life-sized puppetry through the eyes of the characters we know and love, in a new story from the Hundred Acre Wood.
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh made its world premiere in 2021 at Theatre Row in New York City. Entertainment Weekly called it “a whimsical delight with brilliant puppetry; The New York Times called it “enchanting”; and WhatsOnStage declared it a show “that truly spans the generations”. The musical received both Drama Desk and OBA nominations.
Rockefeller Productions carefully crafted Winnie the Pooh’s first theatrical outing with inspiration from Disney’s remarkable films and A.A.Milne’s original text. The production was written and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller (The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, Paddington Gets in a Jam, Sesame Street the Musical).
The show features many of the original songs written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who composed most of the music for the Winnie the Pooh franchise over the years. The puppets were lovingly crafted within the walls of Rockefeller Productions by a talented and dedicated team of artists, designers, patternmakers, builders, welders and fabricators; all influenced by Disney’s seminal character designs with nods to E.H.Shephard’s original illustrations.
With a new orchestral score by Nate Edmondson, the show’s music pays homage to Winnie the Pooh’s musical history; including, the 1980’s animated series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; The Tigger Movie (2000); and Piglet’s Big Movie (2003). Also included in the show are Pooh’s ‘hums’ (songs that Pooh makes up himself) originally written by author A.A.Milne.
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh will continue its tour at Princess Theatre in Tasmania this week and conclude at Albury Entertainment Centre 1 October. Tickets are available now at winniethepoohshow.com/australia